Democrats snub working poor by killing licensing reform
Democrats snub working poor by killing licensing reform
SACRAMENTO – California Democrats prattle endlessly about helping the working poor, but their latest vote against a bill that would tangibly help financially struggling people shows that Democratic leaders are more interested in serving their real constituencies: state bureaucracies, public-sector unions and the interest groups that want to keep out the competition. The latest example involves...
By Steven Greenhut
What if California’s Government Never Unionized?
What if California’s Government Never Unionized?
A story that still makes the rounds in Sacramento is that Governor Jerry Brown, speaking off-the-record to a group of business leaders back around 2009, admitted that the worst political decision of his life was signing legislation to permit public employees to form unions and engage in collective bargaining. Whether or not Governor Brown actually...
By Edward Ring
State Budget Could Be Capped by “Gann Limit,” Preventing New Taxes
State Budget Could Be Capped by “Gann Limit,” Preventing New Taxes
Editor’s Note: For a summary of how state legislators may be prevented by law from increasing taxes any further, this article by Jon Coupal is as good as any. In a nutshell, Prop. 4 (the “Gann Limit”), passed in 1979, then modified by Prop. 111, passed in 1990, limits increases in state and local spending...
By Jon Coupal
Questions for Someone Who Supports Superior Benefits for Government Workers
Questions for Someone Who Supports Superior Benefits for Government Workers
“Without disputing the figures, Monique Morrissey, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., said the findings are misleading because they do not compare specific classes of employees or account for differences in education levels and total hours worked.” California Is Golden State For Public Employees, by Michael Carroll, AMI Newswire, Jan. 31,...
By Edward Ring
Analysis of 2001 Bush Executive Order Allowing Federal Funds for Project Labor Agreements
Analysis of 2001 Bush Executive Order Allowing Federal Funds for Project Labor Agreements
In early 2001, President George W. Bush issued two executive orders related to a prohibition on federal funding for construction contracts that included a requirement for contractors to sign a Project Labor Agreement with trade unions. The first executive order – Presidential Executive Order 13202, signed on February 17, 2001 – received national news coverage and Congressional attention....
By Kevin Dayton
Environmentalism Provides Moral Cover for New Taxes to Fund Pensions
Environmentalism Provides Moral Cover for New Taxes to Fund Pensions
There are two intertwined themes that define unionized government in California. First, funding government retiree pensions will soak up every new source of tax revenue they will ever collect. Second, cloaking new taxes and fees – and new agencies – in the virtuous raiment of environmentalism will deflect criticism and demonize critics. Here’s why: Now...
By Edward Ring
Will Taxpayers Be Mugged by Unionized Government?
Will Taxpayers Be Mugged by Unionized Government?
Governor Brown has just released his spending proposal for 2017-18 and taxpayers should not be blamed if they feel like they are walking down a dark alley in a high-crime neighborhood. While the governor’s proposed budget has been described as austere, it still represents a spending boost of five percent, a rate of increase only...
By Jon Coupal
California Politicians Keep Raising the Cost-of-Living
California Politicians Keep Raising the Cost-of-Living
Ever since the surprise victory of Donald Trump on November 8th, California’s Democratic leadership have asserted their determination to thwart the Trump agenda. Expect unity and resolve from California’s legislature, where democrats now hold a super-majority in both chambers. Even before Nov. 8th, California’s legislature was a trend-setting force, enacting laws intended to set an...
By Edward Ring